ASUS VANGUARD B85 Motherboard

Introduction

We analyzed the ASUS Vanguard B85, an entry-level socket LGA1150 motherboard based on Intel B85 chipset. It is part of the TUF (The Ultimate Force) series, which means it uses some high-grade components that give it a longer lifespan than “common” boards.

The Intel B85 is the most basic chipset for fourth-generation “Core i” Intel CPUs. Its main differences from the high-end chipset for this platform, the Z87, are the lower number of SATA-600 ports (four instead of six) and USB 3.0 ports (also four versus six), the absence of RAID and SRT (Smart Response Technology) support, and the support for only one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot. There is no support (at least officially) for changing the clock multiplier on “K” unlocked CPUs, which makes it bad for overclocking.

You can see the ASUS VANGUARD B85 motherboard in Figure 1. It uses the microATX form factor, measuring 9.6” x 9.6” (244 mm x 244 mm).